The Lord says:
"A time to praise! A time to praise! Breakthrough and victory is waiting for you who keep praising! Never give up praising! Surround yourself with the garment of praise! Praise till you see My glory and My power coming! Praise till you know the enemy is being defeated!"
The Lord says further:
"Rise above every news that you hear, and keep praising! Rise above every circumstance that you face, and keep praising! As you lift your voice in praise, I will make the way clear for you! As you lift your voice in praise, I will destroy the works of the enemy against you!"
Isaiah 61:3 (NKJV) says, 'To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.'
The word 'garment' here comes from the word 'ateh' in Hebrew, meaning 'to array oneself, to decorate oneself'. In the context here, it means to array yourself with the praises of the Lord. And that's how every form of heaviness or burden will be lifted away. That's what the Scripture mean here.
So beloved, whatever situation you may be facing, or whatever not-so-good news you may have heard recently, continue to put on the 'garment of praise', arraying yourself with the praises of the Lord. Never give up praising. Praise like you have never praised this way before! Why? Because the Lord is saying your victory is at hand, and your breakthrough is on the way!
Let's talk further about the power of praise, and why praises of the Lord should at all times be in your mouth.
Psalm 149:5-6 (NKJV) says, 'Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.'
The words 'high praises' here is 'tehillah' in Hebrew, from the word 'haw-lal', and this word can mean 'to shine, to celebrate, to declare aloud, to make clear the way'.
As you begin praising the name of the Lord, you are effectively making clear the way in every situation or circumstance of yours!
Let's look now what happens when you let high praises of the Lord be in your mouth. The answer is amazing!
Psalm 149:7-9 (NKJV) says, 'To execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment - this honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!'
So, count it as your privilege that you can praise the Lord this way. This is an honor for you. Because as you praise the name of the Lord, and as you lift up His name, He will begin to do all that have been written here in verse 7 to 9.
Remember, you are not fighting flesh and blood, but against the spiritual power of darkness that tries to cause all kinds of problems against you. As you begin to lift your voice in praises, and lift your hands toward heaven, watch how the Lord will begin to take over your situation, and watch how the Lord will begin to 'execute judgment' on the power of the enemy against you. This is what the Scripture says here. Let's take Him at His Word!
In cross-reference, let's go now to a rather familiar passage in the Scripture. 2 Chronicles 20:22 (NKJV) says, 'Now when they (Jehoshaphat and the people of God) began to sing and to praise (the same word 'tehillah'), the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.'
And look here at 2 Chronicles 20:23. What happened here is amazing. 'For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.'
In other words, the Lord began to execute vengeance and punishment against the people who came against the people of the Lord. You see, the enemies got so confused that they destroyed one another! This, my friend, is the power of your praises unto the Lord. You are causing the power of the enemies to be shaken!
Today, the Lord is saying that you too are like the 'Jehoshaphat' of today!
By the way, the name 'Jehoshaphat' comes from two words in Hebrew.
'Yehow' (or 'Yehovah') means 'The Self-Existent and Eternal God'. Your Yahweh. The I Am Who I Am. The I Will Be Who I Will Be. The Great I Am. The Almighty God. The El Shaddai.
'Shaphat' means 'To execute judgment'.
Therefore, never underestimate the power of your praises. As you begin to lift up the name of the Lord, and declare that the Lord is great and greatly to be praised, the power of darkness will tremble. Something good is going to happen. The Lord will know how to turn things around for you! Hallelujah!
